They can be endogenous (produced naturally within the body) or exogenous (as pharmaceutical drugs), and they can either enhance an immune response or suppress it.
Most BRMs are biopharmaceuticals (biologics), including monoclonal antibodies, interleukin 2, interferons, and various types of colony-stimulating factors (e.g., CSF, GM-CSF, G-CSF).
Some conditions which biologics are used to treat are rheumatic disorders[3] such as psoriatic arthritis,[4] ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis,[5] and inflammatory bowel disease.
[7] For people with moderate to severe psoriatic arthritis, biologics can provide some relief of the symptoms,[4] and even slow down or halt the progression of the disease.
[4] Common adverse effects of biologic administration are injection site reactions including redness, pain, and itching.
[4][9] Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who are treated with the standard of care, including biologic response modifiers, experience a higher risk of mortality and opportunistic infection compared to the general population.
[25] Biosimilar is a term used to describe a biopharmaceutical product which seems so close in composition and effect to another that they are functionally identical, analogous to generic drugs.